Issue 19 - May 2015

Member Newsletter
President's Message

On a different note, the INWES board has
been started the year with a very busy
schedule. The new board and executive
members of INWES, elected at the Annual
General Meeting (AGM) at ICWES1 6 in Los
Angeles, USA, have started working on theirstrategic plans for the next three years. Firstof all, we on the INWES Governance & Policy
committee are going through the process ofmaking necessary revisions to the Policies andProcedures Manual of INWES to reflect
newly-amended bylaws that bring us in linewith Canadian law. We hope to finalize theserevisions before the end of June, so they cancome into operation soon. The Policies andProcedures Manual will include detailed
information on membership, governance,
ICWES conferences, regional conferences andnetworks, which will help make our INWES
activities more systematized and efficient.
INWES has two major upcoming activities.
One is the Asia Pacific Nation Network(APNN) 201 5, which will held from 25 th to27th of June in conjunction with International
Conference of Women in STEM (ICWSTEM)
at the Mongolian University of Science andTechnology, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It is
exciting to see the APNN being hosted by oneof our recently established organizations,
Mongolia’s Women in Stem (WSTEM).
Detailed information can be found on thewebsite:President's Message 1
INWES Member News 2
Upcoming Events 7

Dear members of INWES,
I would like to first of all express my sincere
and deepest sympathies to the families ofvictims of the recent tragic earthquake in
Nepal. It saddens us especially to hear of theloss of over 6,000 young people, and the griefof our Nepalese friends. We have, fortunately,
been informed by our Nepalese member, Jun
Hada, Chair of WISE-Nepal, that both her
and her family aresafe,
thoughunderstandably distressed by the events. All of
us at INWES are united in our hope for a
speedy recovery in Nepal.

Contents(www.wstem.mn/en.php)

Information for Members 8

The other major event is the 201 5 Regional
Conference, hosted by African Women in
Science and Engineering (AWSE) and theAfrican Regional Network (ARN), which
will be held from 21 st to 23 rd of October in
Entebbe, Uganda, where the INWES board
meeting also will be held. Our regional
conference is held in the time between
ICWES1 6, which took place in Los Angeles,
USA in 201 4, and the ICWES1 7 that willtake place in New Delhi, India in 201 7.

About INWES 9

Through these two regional activities, I expect
women scientists and engineers in Asia andPacific nations, and those in African countries,
will have an opportunity to better network andorganise activities with those in neighbouring
countries. Regional members have common
interests as well as regional problems that canbe tackled together, so we believe these
events will be an exciting chance to work
together and move towards more effective
and innovative tailored solutions to the
problems we face.

2015 APNN Meeting

Our board members, including Yvette Ramosand Claudia Bergbauer, are actively discussing
the establishment of the INWES European
Network and will have a preparatory meeting,based on the newly-revised Policy Manual, in
September in Geneva. We hope that our
European members will be successful informing and designing a new regional networkin Europe. I am expecting the regional
network to be another “herstory” foradvancing women engineers and scientists ineach region, in a way that reflects theirregional context, challenges, and interests.
As always, I look forward to involving myself inthe upcoming INWES activities and meetingas many of you as possible . I hope that yourorganisation and as individuals, will continue inyour many efforts to make changes for a

Contact INWES 9

Events2015 WES Conference

23 rd June
London, UK

25 th - 27th June 201 5
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

2015 INWES Regional Conference

21 st - 23 rd October 201 5
Entebbe, Uganda

DIB 30th Anniversary Conference

November 201 6
Munich, Germany

better world. INWES will try to support you
as much as we can, and I welcome anysuggestions and ideas for our activities.
As they say traditionally in Korea - ‘in unity
there is strength’. We can solve ourproblems by collaborating together.
Wishing everyone a happy spring ofblooming flowers, and beautiful fall colours
for autumn!
Warm Regards,

Kong-Joo Lee, Ph.D.
INWES President

INWES Member News
Québec, Andritz Hydro Canada Inc., Voith
Hydro Inc., and CanmetENERGY. Thisaward highlights a fruitful and successful
partnership between universities andindustries to make the most of Canadian
research excellence and Canadian
Dr. Claire Deschênes, Professor at the industrial expertise.
Department of Mechanical Engineering of
Laval University, and former INWES The announcement was made at an award
Secretary-General and Treasurer of ceremony, on February 1 7th 201 5, at
INWES ERI, has received the prestigious Rideau Hall, Ottawa, in the presence ofSynergy Award 201 4 in the “Partnership His Excellency the Right Honourablewith Two or More Companies” category. David Johnston, Governor General of
She was honoured, as the Director of the Canada, the President of NSERC, Dr. B.
Consortium on Hydraulic Machines at Mario Pinto, and the Honourable Ed
Laval University, jointly with ALSTOM Holder, Minister of State for Science andRenewable Energy Canada Inc., Hydro- Technology.

INWES Member,
Claire Deschenes,
wins Synergy Award
for Innovation

teamwork demonstrated at the Hydraulic
Machine Laboratory of Laval University,
between participating graduate andundergraduate students, post-doctoral
researchers, research professionals, andcolleagues from the Department of
Mechanical Engineering. The consortium’s
work is helping Canadian hydro companies
to stay globally competitive, and keep pacewith growing electricity demand, while
attracting top talent in engineering to
Canada. Indeed, the consortium has set up
a strong centre of Canadian expertise,
precisely designed for the large hydraulicturbine industry.
Congratulations to Claire Deschênes andthe Consortium team!

The
NSERC
ResearchPartnerships
Programsupports teams of academic Intel "She Willand industrial researchers - Connect” Training
enabling them to pool Organised By WITIN
expertise and resources, and and WITED in Nigeria
attract top students. These
research partnerships are asourceofknowledge, The Yaba College of Technology chapter
innovation, and training for for Women in Technical Education and
Employment(WITED)
recentlyhighly-qualified people.
collaborated with the organisation
The consortium’s success Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN)
stems from the excellent to train girls and young women between

An Update from the African
Regional Network
The establishment of the INWES African Regional Network(ARN) in 201 4 was motivated by the desire of the INWES Boardof Directors, led by Kong Joo-Lee, to expand INWES’ regional
networks. Dr. Uduakobong A. Okon, the INWES Director for
Africa and the President of the Organization for Promoting
African Girls inEngineering, ScienceandTechnology
Education(OPAGESTE)
in
Nigeria, took up thechallenge to convene
the first African
Regional Network
virtual conference in collaboration withDr.
Caroline
Thoruwat, head of
the Association of
Women in Science
Issue 19 - May 2015

and Engineering (AWSE) in Kenya; and Rufina Dabo, head of the
Association des Femmes dans le domaine des Sciences et de laTechnologie (AFSTech) in Senegal. The INWES African Regional
Network Steering Committee (ARNSC) was duly constituted on
the 1 8th of May 201 4, with representatives from twelve Africancountries to coordinate the ARN. The African countries
represented in ARNSC included Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania,
Algeria, Uganda, Mali, Cameroon, Kenya, Burkina Faso,
Botswana, Ghanaand
Liberia.
Margaret Ojibode
andRoseniDearden from UK
were selected by
the board as
observers.
In a subsequentvirtual meeting of
the ARNSC, heldon the 1 5 th June
201 4, ARN Subcommittees were2

constituted to include, Finance and Fundraising, Advocacy andPartnership, Web Portal and Communication, and Programme
sub-committees, to facilitate the smooth coordination andprogrammes of ARN. Dr. Okon presented the Policy Frameworkof the INWES Africa Regional Network and the Terms ofReference for adoption. This was published in Issue 1 7 of the
INWES Newsletter. Strategic decisions over the way forward for
ARN were discussed, including the need to convene a physicalmeeting of the ARNSC in Cameroon, though this was eventually
postponed.
An Inaugural meeting of the ARN was proposed and held at
ICWES1 6, in Los Angeles, USA, on the 22nd of October 201 4.
The ARN was officially inaugurated by Kong Joo-Lee, the INWES
President, with Dr. Uduakobong A. Okon as the Pioneer
President of ARN and all the members of ARN Steering
Committee. In attendance were INWES Board Members andAfrican women scientists and engineers. Kong Joo-Lee in her
speech expressed appreciation for the efforts to establish the
ARN and promised the continuing support of the INWES Boardfor the development of the ARN. Marlene Kanga, of Engineer
Australia and others present shared goodwill messages on theoccasion, which we are glad to say was a huge success.

ARN Steering Committee, Reine Essobmadje – founder of in
Evolving Consulting - worked with others to host a four-day ICT
programme, from 9th to 1 2th November 201 4 in Cameroon,
supported by UNESCO and Microsoft. It involved training, acontest for teenagers, and the showcasing of an ICT job forum.
The programme was well attended with over 400 participants and
200 enterprises involved. Reports indicate that the programme
was highly successful.
ARN would like to congratulate again Kadija Simboro in Burkina
Faso, another member of the ARNSC, who as detailed in Issue 1 7of the INWES newsletter, was honoured as a 201 4 Moremi
Initiative Leadership and Empowerment Development (MILEAD)
Fellow in recognition of her achievements and potential as one of
Africa’s most promising young women leaders.

In another exciting development, the INWES Executive
Committee, on 1 6th February 201 5, approved AWSE’s proposal
to host the INWES 201 5 Regional Conference from 21 st to 23 rdOctober, 201 5 in Entebbe, Uganda. AWSE appreciates theopportunity to host the INWES Regional Conference this year
and heartily welcome all to Uganda, East Africa, in advance. We
wholeheartedly believe that it will be a wonderful time to share
together, and a unique opportunity for the exchange of scientific
Rufina Dado, Caroline Thoruwat, and Aude Abena - who are are and cultural experiences. We will all be attending and look
all members of the ARNSC - were elected as INWES directors in forward to personally meeting many of you there.
the INWES General Meeting at ICWES1 6 in Los Angeles. ARN
congratulates them all.
Uduakobong A. Okon
In other news from the African region: another member of thethe ages of thirteen and twenty-five on theuse of information communication andtechnology (ICT) for entrepreneurial
development. The programme, which washeld from 2nd to 4th October, 201 4, washandled
by
WITIN
and
headed by the
President,
Martha O. Alade.
Some WITED
members
participated
under
the
supervision of
the Coordinator,
Dr. Lauretta N.
Ofodile.
The
programme wasdesigned to help train young women, both
for
their
own
entrepreneurial
development and to empower them tobecome trainers themselves - creating
opportunities for more young women tolearn.

Chair ARN
President OPAGESTE Nigeria

Yaba College of Technology. The young
women were introduced to the use ofcomputers, operating systems, internet
and email. They were also shown how to
use word processing software, to design
flyers,invitation
cards, andresumes.
The young
women
learnt tousespreadshee
tsforbudgetingto enable
them topreparebusiness start-up budgets and monthly
budgets, and improve business financialorganisation generally. They were alsotaught how to use multimedia andpowerpoint presentations for businessproposals, marketing plans, and sales
pitches.

programme included branding. The young
women learnt to design everything fromlogos and business cards, to brochures,
sales catalogues, and posters.
The training culminated with an activity on
mind-map drawing and website design. The
young women were taught how to design
a free personal website on Google Sites.
According to an interview conducted withthe young women afterwards by WITIN,
mind-mapping was the most interestingand impactful aspect of the training fromthe participant’s perspective. They were
taught to draw maps of their futurebusiness plans, which could be viewed at a
glance. According to the participants thisactivity has helped them to think and toput down their business plans, which they,
hopefully, can make a reality in the future.

On the last day of the training, trainees
presented their personal learning
experiences
usingPowerpoint
presentations. Six young women trained
by WITIN became trainers in November
201 4, and between that time and
The training was held in a fully-equipped
computer laboratory, in the Statistics Other entrepreneurship activities the December 201 4, they have gone on to
Department, of the School of Science, at young women learnt about on the train over 500 girls and young women
Issue 18 - May 20153

WSTEM in Mongolia Organise
Upcoming APNN 2015 Meeting

June 201 5 features three additional invited speakers, participating
in a panel session, to discuss the role of women academics ineducation and science in developing and developed countries.
The board members of Women in Science, Technology, Finally, as part of ICWSTEM there will be an Awards Ceremony
Engineering and Mathematics (WSTEM) in Mongolia, despite for Women in STEM, a poster session, and a group photo.
representing one of newest organisational members of INWES,
are currently organising the Asia and Pacific Nation Network We are particularly excited about this inaugural awards ceremony(APNN) and the International Conference on Women in Science, for women in STEM fields - a first in Mongolia. The awards
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (ICWSTEM) to be held in ceremony was inspired by examples set at INWES and APNN
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 25 th to 27th June 201 5.
meetings, and the discussions that emerged from preparing
Mongolia’s 201 4 Action Plan, where we realized that there are no
Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics awards for women scientists in Mongolia. This bi-annual award(WSTEM) in Mongolia was established in 201 2; it is comprised ceremony for women in STEM will recognize the best women
primarily of Mongolian female academics and practitioners in scientists in the following disciplines: Agriculture; Medicine,
STEM and social science fields. WSTEM in Mongolia has been Engineering and Technology; Social Science and Humanities; andactively engaged in helping develop education and science in Natural Science. The research of the five awardees will be
Mongolia, by organising training and other related activities for presented in the poster session.
lecturers and professionals in the country. Mongolia’s
development strategy is to strengthen its knowledge economy. There will be several opportunities to experience Mongolia’s rich
Key to achieving this is a quality improvement in education and cultural heritage. A cultural performance will be held to mark theresearch, and stimulating innovation. Thus, our theme this year is end of the APNN conference, and an all-day trip - exploring the“Education Reform and Innovation.”
Mongolian countryside, old traditions, and 1 3 th century history will be organised for the 27th June 201 5.
While Mongolia has made important strides in achieving genderequality, such as revising election law to introduce 20% quotas for Please use the website to register for these cultural events:
women candidates, it still has a long way to go when it comes to http://www.wstem.mn/conference_en.php
parity between women and men in education and science.
Currently, Mongolia ranks 33 rd out of 1 36 countries according to The deadline to register for these events is: 1st June 2015.
the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap
Index (201 3), which constitutes a significant
improvement compared to 201 2 when it ranked 44th ,but still lower than in 201 0 when it ranked 27th .
Women hold 70% of the jobs in the education sector,
and yet more than 90% of the people in positions of
power are men. We are hoping that this conference
will bring us, women academics in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics, together to enlighten
each other and, most importantly, the public, about ourrole in developing the knowledge economy, by focusing
on education and innovation, in Mongolia and beyond.
The APNN meeting, to be held on 25 th June 201 5,
features invited speakers, reports from member
countries, and plans for 201 5. The ICWSTEM on 26th
between thirteen and twenty-five years ofage, using the same Intel® She Will
Connect curriculum to help empower
more young women and girls for the
future.
Ofodile Lauretta N,
Mafimidiwo Alice

Sokoya A.

A

andFormer INWES
Director offeredprestigious role atKorean institute for
Basic Science
Issue 19 - May 2015

Dr. Myung Hee Jung was appointed
Auditor at the Institute for Basic Science(IBS), in Korea - the only and largest
legal entity for basic sciences in the
country - for a three-year term, beginning
February 9th 201 5. Myung Hee served as
the 5 th President of KWSE and recently
worked as a scientific consultant at the
Korea Institute of Science and Technology- Europe in Saarbrucken Germany. She
received her Ph.D. degree in medicinal
chemistry from the Phillips University,
Germany in 1 985 and has been
acknowledged for her diverse experience
with prominent expertise in managing

research institutes.
Dr. Jung had played a key role in INWES
from the beginning, as an interim board
memberandlater as directorof the board,
and was pivotal
to the success of
ICWES in Seoul,2005 as Chair of
ICWES1 3. She
has been asinceresupporter and a4practical adviser for INWES for many famous, world-renowned Taiwanese
years, for which INWES conferred her the pottery company Franz, which is located in
INWES Service Award in in 201 4.
Taipei.
They were given a brief
introduction to both the design andWe would like to take the opportunity to manufacturing process behind these
congratulate her on this recent careerachievement!

Porcelain Factory
Visit in Taiwan

delicate porcelain wares. They also had
the chance to learn to make somebeautiful flower brooches for themselveson the spot.

ARN

A group from the Society of Taiwan
Women in Science and Technology(TWiST) recently paid a visit to theTechnology, Gender,and Education: The 2015
MLW
The 201 5 Mobile Learning Week (MLW) in
Paris, was co-organised by UNESCO and UN
Women, and explored how mobile technology can be used to
improve education, and accelerate the learning of women andgirls. The theme of MLW 201 5 was leveraging technology toempower women and girls. The week-long timetable of events
included workshops, a symposium, a policy forum, and a researchseminar. The principal aim of MLW 201 5 was to ensure that
newly affordable technologies - from basic mobile handsets to thenewest tablet computers - are harnessed to open doors to
educational opportunities, and promote gender equality, both ineducation and beyond.
Encouraging girls and women in STEM is the main mission of
INWES, to which the Association des Femmes Ingénieurs etScientifiques au Cameroun (AFISC) has been affiliated, as a payingorganisational member, since its official launch in Mfoundi,
Yaoundé, Cameroon in 2008. At AFISC we recognise that
education is key factor in attracting, developing and retaining
more women and girls in STEM, and as such firmly believe in theimportance of learning more about technology programmes andcontent that will facilitate the learning of women and girls.
I’m highly interested in telecommunications, gender equality, andeducation - and how they interact. My interest in researchingeducational technologies has been growing steadily sinceNovember 201 0, when I was admitted onto the ACREDITE
masters programme (which addresses the analysis, design, andresearch of engineering educational technologies), with the
Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF). On a more
personal level, living in Cameroon, a developing country, as amother of daughters, and a woman, has helped me understandthe context and realities of education for women in African
societies. Now as an engineer in the telecommunications field, I
regularly encourage women in my sector, using my own personal
experience of lifelong and distance learning, to continue theirprofessional education, and the result can be seen at my institute- the National Advanced School of Post and Telecommunications(L'Ecole
Nationale
Supérieure
Des
PostesEt
Télécommunications) - where the number of female students has
Issue 19 - May 2015

increased. On a different note, in my everyday life I’ve noticed
that it has become increasingly simple to hold virtual meetings
with applications like Doodle or Zoom, and that people areintegrating those new practices gradually. Inspired by all of theseexperiences, I presented a paper on "Technology innovations for
the Mobile Tutorial Lesson" as part of the “Innovations, research
and achievements in the various field of engineering” theme at
ICWES1 6 in Los Angeles.
The Mobile Learning Week in Paris offered an opportunity to
pursue my ideas further and develop a deeper understanding of
ICT in education. MLW, now in its fourth year, attracts
participants from around the world. It was an exciting
opportunity to see participants demonstrating how mobile
technology can provide a tool for closing the access, knowledge,
and confidence gaps between men and women - especially within
the context of developing countries. It is vital that challenges
associated with mobile learning are understood as clearly as its
benefits. As a result, MLW 201 5 examined difficulties associatedwith the integration of mobile technology in education as well as
its opportunities and advantages, and considered how the returnon mobile learning investments compares to other non-ICT
educational investments.
When I was elected on to the INWES Board at Los Angeles, I
promised to research and conceive an ICT project that focusedon education as part of the INWES programme. At the MLW
seminar, I met a number of individuals, including Patience
Stephens, the Special Advisor on Education for UN Women, withwhom I believe INWES can collaborate to advance their activities
around the world. Following on from this, I plan to submit a
project called ICT4ML², to INWES, and hopefully after discussing
it further with Board I will begin to move forward with it.
Aude Abena
Head of Department at the L'Ecole Nationale Supérieure Des Postes Et
Télécommunications, Yaoundé, Cameroun
INWES Director & AFISC President

5Bees, Books, Mars,
Stardust – Women
Matter
Kindly shared for publication in the INWES
newsletter by yentha.com.

The fourth edition of the Café Scientifique
was held in Alliance Francaise de
Trivandrum on Thursday. To celebrate
International Women’s Day and to honour
Women’s History month, the focus wason Women in STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Maths). As the organizer, I
was fortunate to find three highly qualified
young women to come and speak to us
about their science as well as their journeyin the world of STEM.

Dr. Resmi Lekshmi, Assistant Professor in
IIST spoke to us about the “Wonders of
the Cosmos”. In fifteen minutes she got us
deep into the world of stars and theireventual death. The idea of star debris
becoming future planets and even flora or
fauna appealed to many in the audience.
“All of us are born of stardust,” concluded
Resmi.

team worked on the Martian Exosphere
Composition Analyser (MENCA) as partof the payload of the Orbiter. Currently
they are communicating with it daily andgetting results which they are analysing.
She expects that they will have some very
original findings to report very soon.
Later the three panelists joined Alice
Gauny, Director of Alliance Francaise for a
discussion on what prompted them to joinscience and whether they had
encountered any hurdles along the way.
Resmi spoke about growing up in a small
village in Kerala where the Shastra Sahitya
Parishad books and journals inspired her
to become a scientist. As the daughter of
two school teachers she did notface any discrimination while
studying. She feels that the world of
academia is more egalitarian thanother professions. She is having agreat time researching, teaching andgiving talks at conferences all over
the world. In her spare time she
likes to go for hikes and readbooks.

voyage taken up by any country – actuallycheaper per km than a trip from VSSC to
Thampanoor! She also said that ISRO was
sending payloads of other countries tospace and thereby making money.
How many of their school friends werestill in science? The answer was no one. So
obviously there are a lot of drop outs fora variety of reasons. And no, they did notthink that today’s education system
prepared the students for a life in acreative field like science.
As the organiser of the event, I
commented that one should not forget thecontributions of women scientists whichhave led to major changes in scientificinstitutions where younger womenscientists are beginning to feel accepted. I
also cautioned that there is more isolation
as they become senior and pointed outthat to this day none of the IITs has awoman Dean or Director.

An Old Girls’ Club is being formed for
women in STEM in Trivandrum to
network and exchange ideas with one
another. You can find out more about thisHema always knew she wanted to by writing to me c/o Yentha.
work with animals. She says that (anything@yentha.com)
science requires long training, longwork hours and one should only get into it The quiz of the day was won by little
if one is absolutely sure that you want to Nandini who is a junior school student in
do just that. She is not sure if she Central School, VSSC. Her wise parents
successfully balances her work and had brought her and her older sister Pavai
personal life but seems to be managing all who is currently writing her board exams
to this event as they knew it would inspireright.
them more than any school text book.
Dhanya too seems to have found much And girl, were they right!
encouragement along the way to be aphysicist. Her first choice was to be a Asha Gopinathan
nuclear physicist but as fate would have it Neuroscientist
she landed a job in VSSC where they were Consultant with GenSci-e-Tech, Trivandrum.
doing space physics. So instead of micro
atomic particles she now looks at macro http://www.yentha.com/news/view/features/bescale objects. But she is very happy with es-books-mars-stardust-women-matter
her lab and feels she is learning a lot andcontributing to ISRO’s mission.
Her lab also has more womenthan men. All three stressed
the need for hard work andperseverance to survive in theworld of science.

Dr. Hema Somanathan who works at
IISER, Trivandrum gave us a peek into thefascinating world of insects. How do
spiders spin their unique webs? Is thislearning hard wired into their brains when
they are born? She spoke of recent workwith paper wasps which have shown thatthey can distinguish individual faces andeven more amazing are the bees which cantell a Mondrian and Picasso painting apart!
Some ants even teach one another. Next
time you encounter a tiny insect with afew hundred neurons, do not scoff at it.
The audience had manyquestions. Why India should
The last speaker of the night was Dhanya spend so much money on the
M B who works as a Scientist / Engineer in Mars Orbiter Mission. Dhanya
the Space Physics Lab in VSSC. She was convinced him by pointing out
part of the Mars Orbiter Mission as her that it was the cheapest Mars
Issue 19 - May 2015

6

Upcoming Events
The 2015 APNN in Mongolia Fast Approaching
The 201 5 Asia & Pacific Nation Network (APNN) meeting will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
It will take place from 25 th to 27th June 201 5 at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology in Ulaanbaatar. This year, theInternational Conference of Women in STEM (ICWSTEM) will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of APNN.
Further information about both the 201 5 APNN meeting and ICWSTEM is available on the official website: http://www.wstem.mn/en.php
The draft agendas are posted there as well as other useful information provided by the organising committee.
Please sign up as soon as possible as we hope to see you all in Ulaanbaatar in June.
For inquiries, please contact: wsteminmongolia@gmail.com

Engineering Women: Are they
Returning?
WES Conference, London
23rd June 2015

The Women's Engineering Society (WES) is a UK-basedorganisation that set up in 1 91 9 to raise the profile of engineering
as a career for women and has been supporting technical women
ever since. Their 201 5 conference focuses on the theme of
women returning to engineering.
Evidence has shown that many qualified women in STEM are not
returned to the engineering sector after a career or maternity
break, and these are skills that we can ill afford to lose when the
UK faces such a massive skills gap in the coming years. Not only
are we losing out on these skills in engineering - skills that areoften enhanced in many ways during the breaks - but we are
failing to utilise the links that these women have with their local
communities, schools, and other parents and influencers. With a
bit of thought, organisation, and encouragement we could
mobilise this untapped resource; and either reintroduce theseskilled women to the engineering sector, or use them asambassadors for our profession in other ways. This conference
explores the opportunities and some of
the best practices that are out there toaccess and utilise this neglectedresource.

barriers that women face in returning to work after a break; from
Julianne Miles (Women Returners) and Julie Thornton (Thames
Tideway Tunnel) about women 'Returnship' programmes; from
Katie Perry on the Daphne Jackson Trust and ways to reintroduce
women to science careers; from Clem Herman on the Open
University STEM Returners online course; from Kate Bellingham,
who will talk about her exciting new venture School Gate SET;and from Jenny Young, from the Royal Academy of Engineering,
who will talk about what Professional Engineering Institutions are
doing to support their women members through the RETURN
programme.
We will also hear from companies such as Arup, Atkins, Airbus,
Make Architects, Goldman Sachs, Laing O'Rourke, National Gridand Hyder Consulting, who will share their case studies that lookat how they have supported their employees; and from Thames
Tideway Tunnel and Women Returners on the first UK
engineering returnship programme. The final panel session willallow the audience to discuss the issues covered with panel
members who have spoken during the day.
The conference sessions will be chaired by Meg Munn, Philippa
Oldham (IMechE) and Kim Pamplin (P&G).
In parallel we will be offering some Continued Professional
Development (CPD) sessions on personal and career

This conference is aimed at individual
women engineers as well as companies
wanting to know more about current
best practices in developing andretaining women employees.
During the day we will hear from Sue
Ferns of Prospect Union about a recent
STEM survey that highlighted theIssue 19 - May 20157

development from two experienced coaches, Susan Room andCarol Stewart; and we will be offering WES members the chance
to learn more about the Magnificent Women schools outreachprogramme, and how they can be involved in this in the future.
We hope that you can join us for a stimulating day. Further details
can be found here: www.wes.org.uk/returning.
This event takes place on National Women in Engineering Day
201 5 at One Birdcage Walk, London, SW1 H 9JJ

2015 INWES Regional Conferencein Uganda
Co-organised by INWES AND AWSE
Proposed Dates: 21 st to 23 rd October 201 5

Costs:WES Members: £50(Concessions/Career Break Members: £30)
Non-WES Members (including WES Membership) : £90(Concessions: £50)
Students: £20

For further information about WES, contact:
Dawn Bonfield, office@wes.org.uk, tel. 01 438 21 1 403.

- To empower women scientists with innovation-to-market skills,
entrepreneurial skills, and leadership skills.
- To celebrate the successes of African women in STEM anddiscuss the challenges facing them.
- To devise strategies for disseminating research findings ofwomen in STEM
- To promote STEM networks and Public Private Partnerships.

The conference theme is “Women in Science, Technology andInnovation for Sustainable Economic and Social Development”,
Conference Theme: Women in Science, Technology and and will comprise of two major sub-themes as follows:
Innovation for Sustainable Economic and Social Development
Venue: Imperial Golf View Hotel in Entebbe, Uganda

The Association of African Women in Science and Engineering(AWSE) will host the 201 5 INWES regional Conference at theImperial Golf View Hotel in Entebbe, Uganda. Entebbe is thesecond largest city in Uganda and boasts an International airport
with direct flights from many large cities in Africa and the rest of
the world. The hotel has state-of-the-art conference facilities anda breathtaking panoramic view of the Great Lake Victoria and the
Entebbe Golf course. It is also within a five-minute walk to thefamous Botanical Gardens and a seven-minute walk to theWildlife Education Center (Zoo). The proposed conference will
target approximately 1 50 women in science, engineering andmathematics (STEM) from thirty African countries. The
conference will be held for three days, from the 21 st to 23 rdOctober 201 5.

Career and life transitions for professional women, earlycareer women, and students.

This sub-theme will focus on professional development skills foryoung scientists and professional women. We will share anddevelop skills that help women maintain a work-life balance, andsuccessfully manage and prepare for various professional and lifetransitions. Additionally, young scientists will be trained in writing
resumes, applying for jobs, getting prepared for the corporate
world, approaching internships and undergraduate research,
mentoring, pursuing higher education, curriculum-balancing
between fundamentals and changing trends, science
communication, and entrepreneurial skills. Suggested topics
targeting professional women will include returning to work after
a career break, wellness strategies, and guidance for handlingdifficult transitions; as well as others focused on effective
The conference aims to provide a forum of engagement for leadership and managerial skills, such as: inclusive leadership,
women in STEM Careers within the region to discuss topics of building team spirit, best practices in innovation, and making
common interest while creating and strengthening support organizations more innovative and competitive.
networks. The conference seeks to enhance already existing
strategies to encourage retention of professionals in STEM Key note presentations in thematic areas will be given in a plenary
careers, while at the same time cultivating interest in STEM in session. Panels of successful professionals will discuss their career
female students at all levels. The conference also seeks to paths and leadership roles to inspire other participants. Panellists
energise those willing to set up their own STEM associations, in will be from a range of professions and a number of different
order to ensure continued increase of women in STEM careers. It continents.
will also provide networking opportunities for women in STEM
who are not able to travel to ICWES. Furthermore, the proposed Celebrating current research by women in STEM
conference aims to strengthen the African Regional Network(ARN) that was officially launched during ICWES 1 6, in Los Under this sub-theme, women scientists will make oral andAngeles in October 201 4. We are confident that the ARN will go technical poster presentations in their areas of specialisation.
a long way in promoting the participation of African women in These will include current research in basic and applied sciences
STEM in the economic and social development of the continent.
such as biomedical sciences, water and sanitation, energy, foodsecurity, health, the environment, agriculture, architecture andObjectives of the conference are:the built environment, engineering , climate change, information- To discuss the role of innovation in sustainable development.
communication technology (ICT), cutting edge instrumentation- To strengthen the African Regional Network.
and computer applications, nanotechnology, biotechnology andIssue 19 - May 20158

bioinformatics, research ethics, integrity and quality assurance, The conference call will be available on both the INWES andindigenous knowledge, innovation, technology transfer, and AWSE websites.
intellectual property rights.

DIB 30th Anniversary
Conference
The deutsche ingenieurinnenbund (DIB), an INWES member
organisation supporting women engineers in Germany, will beholding its next conference in November 201 6. The conference
will be held in Munich, and will be extra special conference for
DIB as they will be celebrating their 30th anniversary.

We will keep you updated as plans unfold, so look out for
updates!
For more information contact:
Yvette Ramos
Swiss Engineering President
Switzerland
yvette.ramos@swissengineering-ge.ch

As well as celebrating with DIB, the conference will offer an
opportunity for INWES members based in Europe to meet
together and look at ways to build cooperation across Europe Claudia Bergbauer
and plan strategically, to promote gender equality in engineering DIB
and scientific projects, organisations, and programmes in the Germany
region.
claudia.bergbauer@t-online.de

Information for Members
Nomination call for the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize 2015-2016
The fourth edition of the UNESCO-Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize for Outstanding Practice and Performance in Enhancing theEffectiveness of Teachers has opened the call for nominations.
The prize is awarded every two years and it recognises initiatives that contribute to improving educational practices around the world, withpriority given to developing countries. and to marginalised and disadvantaged communities.
The Prize of $300 000 will be divided between three winners.
Candidates may be individuals representing institutions or organisations; international or national governmental or non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs); educational or research institutions; and local/national/regional communities.
The deadline for nomination is 31 st October 201 5.
Further information about the Prize can be found at:
http://www.unesco.org/new/hamdan-prize and http://www.hamdanunesco.ae/

Issue 19 - May 20159

About INWES
I.Executive Officers:

President: Kong-Joo Lee (South Korea)
President elect: Liette Vasseur (AFFESTIM - Canada)
Treasurer: Joan Graf (SWE - USA)
Secretary General: Margaret Ajibode (WES - UK)
Vice President: Gail G. Mattson (AAAS - USA)
Vice President: Marlene Kanga (Engineers Australia - Australia)
Vice President: Roseni Dearden (UK)

Honorary members:

Dormer Ellis (Canada)
Joanna Maduka (Nigeria)
Kathleen Harer (USA)
Mahin Rahmani (Iran )Monique Frize (Canada)
Nicole Becarud (France)
Renata Siemiens (Poland )Issié Yvonne Gueye (Ivory Coast)
Claire Deschenes (Canada)

II. Other Board Members:

Durdana Habib (WESTIP - Pakistan, Central Asia)
Rufina Dabo Sarr (AFSTech/Sénégal - Senegal, French Speaking
Africa)Claudia Bergbauer (DIB - Germany, Western Europe)
Caroline Thoruwa (AWSE - Kenya, English Speaking Africa)
Ewa Okon-Horodynska (Individual - Poland, Eastern Europe)
Seong Ok Han (KWSE - South Korea, Far East Asia)
Kayoko Sugahara (INWES Japan - Japan, Far East Asia)

Aude Abena (AFISC - Cameroon, French Speaking Africa)
Sangeeta Wij (WISE-India - India, South East Asia)
Chia-Li Wu (TWiST - Taiwan, Far East Asia)
Yvette Ramos (Swiss Engineering - Switzerland, Western Europe)

INWES Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors: Canadian International Development Agency, SamsungGold Sponsors: KWSE Silver Sponsors: SNC LAVALIN, SWE, AAAS, WES UK
Past Sponsors: Canadian International Development Agency, IDRC, Nortel, IBM
Affiliated with: UNESCO

INWES Member Newsletter
Deadline for Issue No. 20: 1 st August
Contact: Roseni Dearden, Communications & Newsletter Committee
Email: inwes.secretary@gmail.com

Contact INWES
www.inwes.org

Email: Joan.Graf@centurylink.com

General Information:
Margaret Ajibode
INWES Secretary General
Email: inwes.secretary@gmail.com
OR info@inwes.org

INWES on social media:
www.facebook.com/groups/inwes/

Sponsorship information:
Joan Graf, INWES Treasurer
Phone: +(1 ) 303 992 881 1

Twitter: @INWES_Engineers

Issue 19 - May 2015

http://www.facebook.com/pages/
INWES/1 221 44834530387?ref=hl

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